Minneapolis Monarch Festival – Festival de la Monarca

Date & Time

Saturday, September 12, 2026
10am to 4pm

Follow us on Facebook to keep up on the details!

Address

Lake Nokomis Park
49th Street and Woodlawn Boulevard

Get Directions

Activities

Art, Music, Dance, Games, Plants and More
These activities are free and open to the public.
No registration required
See tab below for more info.

Kids Costume Parade
Line up at 11am at the Info Booth – look for the purple & white striped tent.

About

The annual Monarch Festival – Festival de la Monarca celebrates the monarch butterfly’s amazing 2,300 mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico. Come and enjoy art, music, dance, games, buying native plants, prairie tours and food. The festival raises awareness of the need to provide and protect monarch habitat.

View Photo Gallery

Event Information

 

The Monarch Festival takes place near the Nokomis Naturescape, a certified Monarch Waystation, featuring native plants that monarchs need to lay eggs, host caterpillars and get nectar. The festival features several vendors with native plants for sale so participants can grow a monarch habitat at home.

Festival participants can listen to great music, dance up a storm, make a milkweed seed bomb, enjoy great food, get up-close with monarch caterpillars and butterflies, get their hands dirty and make some art, tag and release a monarch butterfly, play games and much more.

Visit The Minneapolis Monarch Festival website for the full line-up of up Monarch Festival music, food, art, activities, and native plant sale information. These activities are all free and open to the public. No registration is required.

ASL interpreters available at main stage, and for the puppet show, plus roving ASL interpreters available upon request from the Information Booth (look for the purple & white striped tent).

The Monarch Festival is produced by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and Monarch Joint Venture.

Festival partners include the Mexican Consulate and the United States Forest Service.

Activities

Festival Schedule

Main Stage (Bilingual Emcee & ASL Interpreter)

  • Check back later for this year’s line-up

Kids’ Costume Parade

  • Line-up starts at 11am the Info Booth (purple and white stripes)
  • Costumed stilters will lead the way at 11:10

Hands on Art with:

  • Check back later for this year’s line-up

Food Vendors (10am to 4pm)

  • Check back later for this year’s line-up

Get Involved

Volunteers

Volunteers needed, especially bilingual English & Spanish – sign ups start in July – check back then!

Exhibitors

Applications are now open for 2026. Online Application

Food and Beverage Vendors

Applications are now open for 2026. Application [PDF]

Sponsors

We are seeking Festival sponsors for 2025. Contact Marylynn Pulscher at mpulscher@minneapolisparks.org

Event Contact

Thank you for your interest in getting involved with the Monarch Festival.

Questions?
monarchs@minneapolisparks.org or volunteer4monarchs@gmail.com

Park Board Announcements

There are no announcements at this time. Please check back soon.